by Dave Norris, Heritage Golf Club Superintendant

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Managing Summer Stress

Summer time is the most stressful time of the year for the golf course. Soil temperatures rise and the sun’s UV radiation during these long days make it tough for turf to stay healthy. We have some tools to help us get through these hot months and so far they have been working. Other factors such as an increase in traffic, mowing, and drought will add stress to the playing surface.

I’ve been treating greens weekly with products that help alleviate the stress on the turf. Foliar products sprayed on the surface weekly help keep the plant healthy and give it the nutrients needed to make it through these long days and keep it putting smooth. A few products equipped with stressgard, a Bayer formulation, add the extra help needed to protect the plant from UV radiation and keep it healthy to fight off disease causing pathogens. We have also been using pigments in our fairway applications. Pigments help reflect the suns unwanted UV rays allowing the plant to take in only what is needed, keeping it strong to resist the stress from mowing, traffic, and drought. My assistant Kyle, myself, and my foremen have been doing extra hand-watering to hit our “hotspots”. Hand watering allows us to water the smaller areas that are in need without overwatering other areas. Overwatering during hot days will only help disease inoculate the turf and spread faster.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank my crew for all their hard work during my first season as Superintendent. I’ve leaned on my Assistant Kyle Arnold quite a bit and he has been more than amazing. My mechanics Mike Andres and Kenny Hiles have been better than ever. My foremen and crew have worked harder than I’ve seen in years past. Thank you all for making this first half of the season a success. We will continue the hard work and only improve the playing conditions as the season rolls on.